Michigan’s first Republican state legislator Public Comment Since his arrest a week ago, he has claimed he was “framed” in an alleged “political legal war” plot and that he will soon be “totally” exonerated.
Early last Thursday morning, Lansing police arrested State Rep. Neil Friske, a first-time Republican lawmaker who represents several counties in Michigan’s northwestern Lower Peninsula and southeastern Upper Peninsula. As The Blaze News previously reported, Rep. Friske was accused of sexually assaulting a stripper at a Lansing apartment and then chasing her down the street while firing a gun.
“I simply cannot understand how anyone who wants to claim to be an honest Christian can campaign like this and feel good about himself and still expect people to vote for him.”
Gateway Pundit Claiming a different version of events, the stripper allegedly refused to leave Friske’s apartment unless she was paid. When he refused to comply, she allegedly grabbed a pair of scissors and tried to stab him. She also allegedly called police to make a false report that he had fired a gun at her.There was no firing” the media outlet emphasized.
Friske said he is a strong supporter of former President Trump and traditional American freedoms, and that he has “always exercised his Second Amendment rights.” statement The article was released by his campaign hours after his arrest. His campaign then shared the Gateway Pundit article on social media.
Officers have asked Ingham County prosecutors to charge Friske with sexual assault, assault and weapons violations, but prosecutors have so far declined. Friske was released from custody just after noon Friday.
On Monday, Friske gave his first interview since his arrest, appearing on Tucker Lundy’s radio show “Your Defending Fathers” to explain what happened. During the conversation, Friske steadfastly maintained his innocence and suggested he was likely the victim of a politically motivated assassination.
Frisk explained to Randi that he immediately knew “something was wrong” the night of his arrest, and claimed that unknown political forces had “trapped” him: “I was trapped. That’s how these people work.”
“It’s simply incomprehensible to me how someone who wants to claim to be an honest Christian can campaign like this, feel good about himself and still expect people to vote for him,” Friske added.
Friskie called the man “desperate,” and a statement from Friskie’s campaign after the arrest similarly called the case “highly suspicious” given recent actions that may be linked to Friskie’s “opponent” with “deep state ties.”
Friske never told Randy the name of who he was referring to, but now Friske faces a tough primary challenge from Parker Fairbairn. Website Fairbairn’s campaign argues that too many state politicians are “corrupt.” “We need representatives who avoid the drama and get on with the job the people have entrusted us to do,” the campaign added.
In addition to his interview with Randi, Friske also published a letter in which he accused his “enemies” of spreading “lies and half-truths.” He also claimed that he was released from custody because “no evidence was found to support” the “false accusations” against him. “I am confident that this investigation will result in my complete exoneration,” Friske wrote. Finally, he stressed that the “extreme pressure of a political legal battle” would never succeed against him.
“I know there are opponents who say I should resign and stop campaigning, and I’m not going to do that,” Friske told Randi. “I don’t believe God wants me to do that, I haven’t received any messages from my supporters, and I’ve done nothing wrong.”
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